Saving Money with (semi) Homemade Carpet Cleaner

So, as many people have probably experienced, babies can be messy. Levi has a tendency to overeat (haha!) so when he does that, he just vomits everything back up that he doesn't need, which makes for a dirty carpet. On top of that, our cat spite-pukes when she feels like she's not getting enough attention, which has been a lot lately. Needless to say, we've been going through our Resolve a lot quicker than we normally do. Yesterday, Lu puked twice (of course) and what do you know, but we were out of Resolve (crap!). I hate going through the hassle of getting Levi out to go to the store for one thing, so Justin volunteered to pick some up after work today, but then I started thinking...you know, I bet I could make something out of stuff we already have. We could save some money and Justin wouldn't have to run to the store after working all day. Win win!

After a quick google search and some pinning on Pinterest, I came across a carpet cleaning solution that was super easy to make and that we already had all the ingredients for. YAY! And what do you know, it's courtesy of the great Martha Stewart (thanks Martha!). Click here for the article that has this recipe, and many more, depending on your carpet type and cleaner preference.

All you  need is some free and clear laundry detergent, some water, and a container for your solution. I used All detergent, which I already had for the two sensitive-skin men that I live with. Mix 1/4tsp detergent (that's all!!) with 1 cup of water and you're done! I poured the detergent and water into a mason jar, closed the lid, and shook it to mix everything together. Worked like a charm.

Martha stressed that you do not want to pour the solution directly onto the carpet, so I dipped part of a rag towel into my jar and started scrubbing. Not only did it clean up the stain, but it took less scrubbing than Resolve, I used less solution, I didn't have to wait for it to lift the stain before scrubbing, and it didn't smell like chemicals. I mean, you can't beat that!

I was concerned that after the carpet dried it would be a little crusty from the soap, but it wasn't at all! It's like it never happened! This recipe is definitely a winner folks!

For more homemade carpet cleaning recipes, and other ideas for saving money with homemade items, follow my Pinterest board, Homemade Living.